Canada's most promising cyclists will have another opportunity to develop following the creation of the Garneau-Quebecor team.

The 25-member team, the brainchild of prominent Quebec businessmen Louis Garneau and Pierre Karl Peladeau, was announced Thursday in Montreal. The goal of the team, which will feature 11 riders from Quebec, 12 from Ontario, the Maritimes and British Columbia, and two from New Zealand, aims to develop world-class cyclists.

"That's the team's main raison d'être," Garneau said. "We want to give our talented young athletes an opportunity to develop and give them a springboard to help them realize their dream, be it to compete in international amateur meets, to join the pro circuit, or even to represent their country at the Olympics."

Quebecor, the team's lead partner and the owner of Sun Media, sees backing this new team as a natural extension of its longstanding involvement in developing young talent in all fields: culture, business, sport.

"Our support for elite athletes is in keeping with our commitment to promoting success and excellence," said Pierre Karl Péladeau. "Helping champions emerge, improve and become tomorrow's star pro athletes is a way for us to invest in the Québec of the future."

During the 2012 season, the Garneau-Quebecor team will participate in a number of international calibre races, including the Tour de Beauce, and several major events on the U.S. east coast.

Before getting some pro experience with Carolina and Minnesota of the NFL.